Mathew Ferdun-Wood and CR Porter Home Collection: Customizing Your Home for the Season and Beyond

Mathew Ferdun-Wood, owner of CR Porter Home Collection, says he’s living proof of the saying “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Mathew recounts his start at CR Porter in 2007 when he was just a senior in high school, helping unbox, organize and tag merchandise in the back room. “The owners were so gracious in answering all of my questions, and I’ll never forget when I asked if I could put together a tabletop display. Tammy, one of the owners, told me she’d never seen anyone with a flair for accessories like me; it meant so much to me and really encouraged me to keep moving forward.”

Customers First
To say the store is a success would be quite the understatement. “Christmas decor has been flying off the shelves since early October,” he said, and the rest of the year is a nonstop designer’s dream of helping customers decorate their living spaces. Grateful and humbled by the success, Mathew credits his employees, saying, “I’m very blessed to have this caliber of a top team.” As much as he loves his talented group, Mathew feels just as strongly about the customers. “We want them to be completely happy and we are here to help them choose whatever they need so that they get it right the first time.”

Through December the store is adazzle with opulent Christmas trees amid a more-is-more extravaganza of glorious holiday decor. Manager Isabella Bautista beams as she described the four-day work party that goes into creating this magical wonderland. “It’s Mathew’s mother-in-law, Laurie, and her best friend, Jeannie, who dream all this up. We call them our Christmas Queens. Before they begin, we cover all the store windows and nobody gets to see any of it until it’s all done. Once it’s revealed, visitors love it and get a lot
of inspiration.”

Customized for Your Space
No matter the season, Mathew says customer satisfaction is top priority. “Every home is different and every customer is different. We are not just one look; we can do anything: modern, seaside, Tahoe-esque, you name it,” Mathew said. “That’s what is so fun. We can customize anything. For example, if someone sees a sofa they love but they need it in a smaller size, it’s no problem!” Mathew explained that there are endless options for scale and customizing without it adding to the cost. “We will order precisely what they need to ensure that it all works in their unique space.” This attention to meeting the customer’s needs applies to holiday decor as well. “Right now, the store is filled with Christmas trees, again, no two alike, and we will come to your home and put it all together for you. I don’t think people realize we do all that,” said Mathew.

After the holidays, when many businesses take a break, CR Porter gets busy making room for large shipments of new inventory. “We go to the markets in places like Dallas, Atlanta or Las Vegas, where we place our orders for the upcoming seasons and things are delivered very quickly.” Additionally, Mathew and his husband, Tyler Ferdun-Wood, are developing their own CR Porter Home Collection line of furnishings which they plan to make available online. “We look forward to eventually opening more stores. The focus will continue to be on quality, comfort and luxury,” said Tyler.

In addition to local design jobs, Mathew and his team at CR Porter Home Collection are currently furnishing homes in Pebble Beach, South Lake Tahoe and Palm Desert. “No matter the location, it just means so much to me to be welcomed into people’s homes and entrusted with the job of decorating them,”
he affirmed.

Visit cr-porter.com to learn more.